Bella Hadid scored her first-ever Elle (US) cover: amazing or underwhelming?

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With the Hadid sisters, I was always a bigger fan of Gigi Hadid rather than Bella. Gigi has the lush ‘80s look that I enjoy, and I just think Gigi photographs beautifully. Like, out of all the Insta-models, Gigi is my favorite. But Bella is sort of growing on me. Bella has such a unique look, possibly the product of a bad nose job in her early years, possibly the product of Bella staking out a darker, more goth vibe than Gigi’s blonde-swimsuit-model look. I think this June cover editorial of Bella has just solidified it for me: I think Bella is an interesting model. She’s more interesting than Kendall Jenner and more “editorial” than Gigi. The cover shot actually gives me strong ‘80s supermodel vibes too. These Hadid girls are good with throwback vibes, aren’t they? Anyway, here are some highlights from Gigi’s interview:

On being the “typical” middle child of siblings Gigi and Anwar: “I am definitely the typical middle child. I love making sure everybody around me is happy, peaceful, and satisfied.”

On boyfriend Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd: “I love seeing him happy and passionate about his art. Being able to see how he works, and put both of our workplaces together, turned out to be really beautiful.”

Her secret to taking the perfect photograph: “My mom always taught me to think about something happy when I’m working, because it kind of shows through your face. I used to think about my horses, but now I think about other things.”

[From Elle]

“My mom always taught me to think about something happy when I’m working, because it kind of shows through your face.” Girl… if you’re thinking happy thoughts, it’s not working. Bella almost always has the same vacant expression in every photo. Don’t get me wrong, as I just said: she’s interesting, editorially, but people aren’t necessarily looking at her face, you know? Because she always looks glassy-eyed and bored. And I love “I used to think about my horses.” Such a rich-girl thing to say.

Bella recently scored her first Vogue cover – but it was Vogue Turkey. Still, the cover was somewhat decent, go here to see. Bella has also just arrived in the South of France. She’ll be working some of the Cannes red carpets, probably for one or more of her modeling contracts. I hope she delivers some good Cannes fashion!

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Photos courtesy of Terry Tsiolis/Elle.

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68 Responses to “Bella Hadid scored her first-ever Elle (US) cover: amazing or underwhelming?”

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  1. Kris says:

    Dead eyes, but at least no butt implants.

    • Nancy says:

      Lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll’s eyes….okay that was Quint from Jaws, he just had to give his opinion of Bella on the cover.

      • Kyle says:

        It’s funny you say that because her eyes are gray yet they do look especially dead, lifeless, black. I’ve seen people with near black eyes have much more spark than that. I’m surprised. She has all the components of model beauty but for some reason it’s not working for her yet.

    • ladysussex says:

      Yeah, I just don’t think she’s very photogenic. Despite all the plastic surgery she’s had to be able to work as a model, I just find her underwhelming. I’m really surprised that she gets as much work as she does.

    • Diana says:

      Also, no way is she 19 years old..what??? She looks much older. Very pretty, but looks in her late twenties.

  2. Nancy says:

    She’s pretty enough, unusual look. But that cover, just no. As Tyra used to say on ANTM, Bella you lost your neck in that picture. Head sitting on shoulders…kind of creepy..

    • Ames says:

      I couldn’t put my finger on what looks off about her, but that’s exactly it. She can’t pull off that coquettish, over-the-shoulder thing in what she’s wearing. “Pretty enough” covers it. There’s nothing of interest in her pictures.

    • D says:

      Maybe Tyra could teach her how to ‘smize’.

    • da says:

      LOLOL, I was thinking the same thing about Tyra. No neck and no smize in the eyes. I don’t think she’s model material, she just doesn’t have that “IT” thing.

  3. Ashley says:

    Good for her,she’s way more striking than her sister.

    • Myrna says:

      I think she is, too.
      Not my intention to be mean, but neither girl can hold a candle to their mom in modeling days.

      • Carol says:

        So true. Even though their mother never reached the level success it seems her daughters have in modelling, she was way more striking and inspiring in photo shoots.

  4. CornyBlue says:

    I know she paid for her face but this is a good face to pay for.

    • anna says:

      true that. she is very beautiful, but the whole thing crashes as soon as she opens her mouth, that girl is not bright. i follow her on instagram and she is so incredibly privileged it makes me a bit mad. she grew up so effing rich and now even more money comes her way with big modelling contracts. i dont know, i miss the eastern european models who had that “i came from nothing”- thing going, like natalia vodianova.
      the hadid-hype is rich people getting richer. sad world.

  5. HH says:

    I don’t get any… personality(?) from any of the newer models. Maybe I’m just used to Tyra, Naomi, Cindy, Christy, Linda, etc. They had personalities that jumped through the page and were chameleon like with their editorials and expressions. I just don’t get the same things from all these recent models. They’re all pretty, but there’s just not that energy there.

    • Merritt says:

      This.

    • Annaloo. says:

      I agree. Models – ESP during the age of the supermodel- were so crazy amazing. Kate Moss may have been the last one that stands out to me in recent memory..

      • HH says:

        Yes. The age of the supermodel. I just remember being able to stare at a photo of them for days, but with these new models, I’m just like meh.

    • teacakes says:

      Kate and Gisele were the last true supermodels, but even after them, there were some great models who could work the hell out of a camera or a runway – Mariacarla Boscono, Lara Stone, Sasha Pivovarova, Daria Werbowy, Natalia Vodianova, STAM, Freja Beha, hell even Karlie had a way about her despite the fact that she wasn’t pretty in the orthodox sense.

      The insta-models are so bland, they don’t hold a candle to that lot.

  6. Shambles says:

    I see the same facial expression and dead eyes in every photo, the very same one-note face she was making in every photo at the met gala. To my eye, she is literally only capable of one facial expression. I’m not super into it.

  7. Sam says:

    I like Gigi better. There’s something lively about Gigi. Bella always just looks dead to me. Like ALL THE TIME. Like on this magazine cover.

  8. Jegede says:

    With that lip shade, I do see the JLaw resemblance some comment about.

  9. HK9 says:

    She’s gorgeous but I think the styling is a little underwhelming.

  10. Carrie says:

    She normally looks bland to me, but I think that she looks very pretty on the cover. In my opinion, it would have looked better if she was wearing something other than a leotard. Perhaps pants?

  11. Mimz says:

    I think she’s mesmerizing. I like her editorials far more than Gigi’s. She had another editorial out that was stunning, in the same magazine let me see if i find the link:
    http://fashionbombdaily.com/snapshot-bella-hadid-by-sebastian-faena-for-vogue-turkey-may-2016/

    These photos are amazing!!

    • ab says:

      oh wow, she looks like a different person in the vogue turkey shoot. she’s showing a lot more expression there than in this shoot. I like her look. gigi to me reads “hot beach girl” but bella is definitely more the editorial, model-type.

    • Josephine says:

      Those pictures are quite beautiful, I also really like the pic above in the leather jacket.

    • Goldie says:

      Thanks for posting that link. I think she looks stunning in that spread. Her eyes are more expressive than usual. Definitely prefer it over the Elle editorial, which is nice as well.

    • claire says:

      Those are nice! She’s definitely got more of a high-fashion look than Gigi.

    • Myrna says:

      WOW!
      The turkey vogue photoshoot pics are breathtaking!
      Gorgeous!!!

      I kinda take back my up-post about neither girl being as beautiful as their mom from her modeling days.
      The turkey vogue pics put Bella in a different light – stunning.

    • Elisa the I. says:

      amazing pics! she really is beautiful.

    • Kitten says:

      Yes and all the credit goes to the immensely-talented Sebastian Faena.
      Have you seen his IG? He takes so many beautiful pictures..

    • I Choose Me says:

      That Vogue Turkey photo shoot is miles, nay light years better than this Elle one. I seriously wasn’t seeing what Kaiser was seeing but I’ve change my mind. She really is beautiful when she let’s some expression show on her face and I love, love, love how she was styled in the Vogue shoot.

    • teacakes says:

      WHOA that shoot is gorgeous! Hats off to Sebastian Faena.

  12. The Eternal Side-Eye says:

    I don’t know who this person is or why I’m supposed to care.

    Okay photo shoot. She kinda looks like fashion roadkill in the very last photo, like she was doing a wet swimsuit photo shoot on the roof of a Manhattan apartment, slipped off, and landed on a pane of glass.

  13. Jessica says:

    As a model I prefer her to Gigi but they’re both fine. This cover wouldn’t be so bad but she looks like she has no neck on the cover. Who picked this as the cover shot? I mean…they must’ve done dozens, or hundreds, of shots…and THIS awkward pose makes the cover? y i k e s

    The last photo is AMAZING. I just love it for some reason.

  14. Jillybean says:

    Zzzzzzzzzzzzz

  15. Shaunna says:

    Bella looks refreshing. No big fake butt, bloated b00bs, or huge lips. Makeup is on point and not 1″ thick. No pointy fingernails and no 3″ fake lashes. I am tired of the Kardashian look!

    • believe says:

      Refreshing? 1. Fake lips. 2. “No big fake butt.” She’s not a Kardashian. She is a MODEL.

  16. Hotpockets says:

    She looks so much like J-Law to me, but her face is slightly longer.

  17. ReineDidon says:

    Her body is perfect. A real supermodel. Her face is unique looking, not that classic beauty but it’s interesting in its own way.

    Well I wouldn’t mindlooking like her 😌

  18. Pants says:

    I think she’s better in motion than in still photos.

  19. emmyb1608 says:

    I think Gigi is prettier, however neither should be classed as a “supermodel”. Bella also looks like a woman in her thirties, not a girl in her teens, same problem as Lorde.

  20. Kitten says:

    *YAWN*

  21. Tallia says:

    They are both pretty in a “good for clothing catalogues” kinda way. Couture? I don’t get it. I guess Fashion Houses really are changing when they hire “models” based on the number of IG followers. Sad.

  22. felixswan2 says:

    There was a write up last month in Page Six about how much plastic surgery she has “allegedly” gotten. I just can’t with this super rich models. I don’t think their looks are at all natural. Just paid for like their careers.

  23. Ldub says:

    Gigi has been on several covers of vogue.

  24. kat0711 says:

    Bella isn’t a model, she’s a yacht girl looking for a rich husband like mommie taught her

    • ladysussex says:

      I think you’re right. I think she’s been groomed and surgically altered for it.

  25. QQ says:

    The Internet said she was serving Lord Farquad’s Realness and I don’t disagree

    Also like I told Abbott the sooner we all realize we HAD supermodels in the 90s and do NOT have them anymore the Sooner we can all stop trying to make the Baldwins and Haddids be a thing

    • ladysussex says:

      QQ I’m trying to come up with a clever name for them to replace “supermodels”. Like, “nepotodels” to denote the nepotism involved in getting them their ‘careers’. What about “celebuspawndels”? Help me out with your wicked cleverness girl!

  26. poppy says:

    ugh. celebrities as models.
    she’s no model, every pose is the same (well she can move her arms).
    and the quality of the photography is budget.
    all of it is budget. boring. bland.
    the only nice thing -her mouth is closed. so very tired of the open mouth but not smiling.

  27. claire says:

    I know people always point out her nose job when talking about her plastic surgery and face change AND point out the dead eyes. But to me, it’s the stiffness or tightness of her jaw and mouth that give her that look of being dead in the face and as if something is off. If you look at her old photos, with her original face, the nose job isn’t even that different. But you certainly can see how relaxed her face and mouth are, whereas now, that whole bottom half of her face looks clenched. I wonder what she did that resulted in that issue.

  28. amilu says:

    She’s an infinitely better model than Kendall Jenner.

  29. hogtowngooner says:

    I think Gigi is prettier, but overall these IG models are just very “yawn” There’s no spark in any of them that make photos pop.

  30. Magnoliarose says:

    That cover shot is not good. All headquarters and no neck.
    I do think she’s very pretty, they all are pretty, but not super. She looks like a good working model in a B market.

  31. OhDear says:

    She’s gorgeous, but modelwise she doesn’t really stand out as someone who should get magazine covers/be a star.

  32. Eleonor says:

    Now I am.
    Vintage Carla Bruni !

  33. vespernite says:

    I lover her…she is just a quiet beauty. And she is sultry without trying too hard. She is way less thirsty than her sister or her mom.

  34. Mango says:

    To me, they’re both mediocre models and Bella looked better pre nose job. Gigi looks quite puffy but good body.

  35. Joh says:

    Ugh……….

  36. J.Mo says:

    She normally looks great in candid shots but those are unflattering as hell

  37. Tila says:

    I’m getting Richard 3rd vibes.